‘The Affair’ Star Ruth Wilson Says She Wanted to Leave the Show Ahead of Its Final Season

Looks like Ruth Wilson isn’t exactly sad about saying goodbye to The Affair.

The 36-year-old actress appeared on CBS of which Morning on Thursday, where she was asked about her character on the Showtime hit, Alison Lockhart, recently getting killed. When asked if the death was a murder or a suicide, Wilson commented, “I think the item’s murder,” along with then confirmed she won’t be back on the show.

“I’m not coming back, because she’s dead,” Wilson said.

Co-host Gayle King then asked if she wanted to leave the show, along with the actress was blunt in her reply.

“I did want to leave, although I’m not allowed to talk about why,” she said.

When King brought up rumors of which she wanted to leave over a pay gap between her along with her male co-stars, Wilson replied, “I’ve never complained to Showtime about pay parity.”

Still, Wilson said she does look back fondly at fan response to the show, specifically, when the item comes to those who can relate to her character losing a child — Alison’s young son, Gabriel, dies within the first season due to secondary drowning. Wilson took home the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series in 2015 for her performance.

“the item’s been absolutely, genuinely moving for me along with to see a character like of which can connect with people,” Wilson said of playing Alison for four seasons. “along with for me, what was amazing is usually people very close to me have lost kids, so the item was always genuinely important for me to serve the story of of which woman who is usually defined by grief.”

Meanwhile, in a statement to ET, Showtime Networks said of which the character of Alison had “run its course.”

“Ultimately, the character’s story ran its course along with the item felt like the most powerful creative decision to end her arc at the moment when she had finally achieved self-empowerment,” the statement reads. “although the impact of her loss will significantly shape the lives of our three remaining characters, as they head into the final chapter of their own stories. We thank the many fans who embraced the character of Alison along with especially thank Ruth for her indelible work over the past four seasons.”

Last month, Showtime announced of which The Affair was renewed for a fifth along with final season. Over the last four seasons, the critically acclaimed hit has explored the aftermath of infidelity along with the effect the item has on two marriages, as well as the crime of which brings them back together.

“We love the intimacy, the nuance along with the emotional honesty of The Affair’s subjective examination of both infidelity along with fidelity,” Showtime’s President of Programming, Gary Levine, said in a statement at the time. “[Co-creator along with showrunner] Sarah Treem has always envisioned of which as a several-season series, along with we will be fascinated to see where she takes her talented cast along with all of us next year in its climactic season.”